9M526 self-guiding submunition rocket

Also known as

9M526
9M526 rocket
9M526 Smerch rocket

The 9M526 self-guiding submunition rocket is a Russian 300 mm Smerch-family round with a cluster warhead carrying five Motiv-3M self-targeting submunitions. Missilery describes it as a top-attack rocket for armoured groupings and tanks, with work completed in 2004 for use from the Smerch multiple launch rocket system.

9M526 self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with self-guiding submunitions, Munitions

Image source: 9M526 rocket | Missilery.info

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Russia
Built by: NPO Splav
Type: 300 mm rocket with self-guiding submunitions
Service note: 2000s-present
Designer: NPO Splav
Designed: 2004

Specifications

Caliber: 300 mm
Weight: 815 kg
Length: 7,600 mm
Warhead weight: 243 kg
Warhead length: 2,049 mm
Submunitions: 5 Motiv-3M self-targeting submunitions
Submunition weight: 15 kg
Submunition explosive weight: 4.5 kg
Range: 25-90 km
Armor penetration: 70 mm homogeneous armor at 100 m and 30 degrees from normal
Time to self-destruction: 50 s

Variants

The 9M526 belongs to the extended-range 300 mm Smerch guided-rocket family and is closely related to other self-guiding and specialized Smerch rounds.

Variant

Configuration

Designation notes

9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitions, Munitions

9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket

Related self-guiding submunition rocket

METIS groups the 9M526 with the 9M533 and other extended-range 300 mm guided rockets in the same family.

Sources: METIS 300 mm guided rocket family

9M55K6 self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitions, Munitions

9M55K6 self-guiding submunition rocket

Related self-guiding submunition rocket

The 9M526 and 9M55K6 share the same Smerch self-guiding submunition concept within the 300 mm family.

Sources: METIS 300 mm guided rocket family

Launch Platforms

The 9M526 is a 300 mm Smerch family rocket designed for the BM-30 / 9K58 launcher family.

Launcher

Launcher type

Launch evidence

BM-30 Smerch, 300 mm heavy multiple launch rocket system, Artillery

300 mm multiple launch rocket system

Missilery identifies the 9M526 as designed for use from the Smerch multiple launch rocket system.

Sources: 9M526 rocket | Missilery.info, 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

Timeline

9M526 self-guiding submunition rocket Key Events

Jan 1, 2004
Completion
Missilery states that work on the 9M526 was completed in 2004.

Related Weapon Systems

9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitions, Munitions

Munitions9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitionsThe 9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket is a Russian extended-range 300 mm Smerch-family round carrying five 9N268 sensor-fuzed anti-armor submunitions. Rosoboronexport and Missilery describe it as a top-attack rocket for armored groupings and tanks, while METIS treats it as closely related to the 9M55K6 but fitted with a different rocket motor.

9M55K1 Smerch rocket, 300 mm Smerch rocket, Munitions

Munitions9M55K1 Smerch rocket300 mm Smerch rocketThe 9M55K1 is a Russian 300 mm Smerch-family cargo rocket from NPO Splav with five 9N349 Motiv-3M sensor-fuzed anti-armor submunitions in a warhead section identified by specialist references as 9N142. Rosoboronexport and Missilery describe it as a top-attack round for armored vehicle and tank concentrations, while METIS places it inside the standard-range 9M55 family fired from BM-30 / 9K58 Smerch launchers.

9M55K6 self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitions, Munitions

Munitions9M55K6 self-guiding submunition rocket300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitionsThe 9M55K6 is a Russian 300 mm Smerch-family cargo rocket built around five 9N268 sensor-fuzed submunitions for top-attack strikes on armored vehicles and tank groupings. Missilery lists the round at 800 kg, 7,600 mm long, and 25 to 70 km range, METIS places it in the standard-range 9M55 family, and Army Recognition lists it among older Smerch rockets compatible with the Tornado-S launcher.

9M532 miniature self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with miniature self-guiding submunitions, Munitions

Munitions9M532 miniature self-guiding submunition rocket300 mm rocket with miniature self-guiding submunitionsThe 9M532 is a Russian 300 mm Smerch-family rocket that carries 20 9N282 Gnom sensor-fuzed submunitions for top-attack use against armored vehicles and tanks. Rosoboronexport describes it as a 300 mm rocket with self-guided anti-tank submunitions, while Missilery gives a 25 to 90 km firing range, 243 kg warhead, and 2004 completion date for the export-era round.

9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket, 300 mm guided rocket, Munitions

Munitions9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket300 mm guided rocketThe 9M530 is a Russian 300 mm guided rocket for the BM-30 / 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system. Unlike Smerch cargo rounds built around submunitions or scatterable mines, it carries a single penetrating high-explosive fragmentation warhead for hard or infrastructure targets, with Missilery tracing its export documentation to 30 September 2004 and official catalog material placing it in the Smerch rocket family.

9M531 cumulative-fragmentation submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with cumulative-fragmentation submunitions, Munitions

Munitions9M531 cumulative-fragmentation submunition rocket300 mm rocket with cumulative-fragmentation submunitionsThe 9M531 is a Russian 300 mm Smerch-family rocket with a cassette warhead carrying cumulative-fragmentation submunitions. Rosoboronexport lists it among BM-30 / 9K58 ammunition, Missilery ties the 2004 export-era round to NPO Splav data, and a different rocket motor and longer listed maximum range distinguish it from the closely related 9M55K5.

9M525 fragmentation submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with fragmentation submunitions, Munitions

Munitions9M525 fragmentation submunition rocket300 mm rocket with fragmentation submunitionsThe 9M525 is a Russian 300 mm Smerch-family cargo rocket carrying 72 fragmentation submunitions for personnel and unarmoured targets. Rosoboronexport and Missilery publish the 815 kg, 25-90 km export configuration, while 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh evidence links reported 9M525 remnants to the Barda cluster-rocket attacks with attribution caveats.

9M55K5 cumulative-fragmentation submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with cassette warhead carrying cumulative-fragmentation submunitions, Munitions

Munitions9M55K5 cumulative-fragmentation submunition rocket300 mm rocket with cassette warhead carrying cumulative-fragmentation submunitionsThe 9M55K5 is a Russian 300 mm Smerch-family rocket with a cassette warhead carrying 646 3B30 dual-purpose cumulative-fragmentation submunitions. Rosoboronexport and Missilery document the 800 kg, 25 to 70 km rocket, and LB.ua identified 9M55K5 among Russian cluster munitions used against Kharkiv neighborhoods in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

METIS 300 mm guided rocket familyPublisher: Fenix Insight | Note: Supports the extended-range 300 mm guided-rocket family context that includes the 9M526 alongside related Smerch-family rounds. | Accessed: 2026-06-29 9M526 rocket | Missilery.infoPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports 9M526 identification, top-attack role, 2004 completion date, weight, length, range, warhead weight, submunition count, armor penetration, self-destruction timing, launcher compatibility, and image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-06-29 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket systemPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports the Smerch-family launcher context, the 300 mm rocket family, and Splav design background for the 9M526 launch relationship. | Accessed: 2026-06-29